Twenty - Kieran
A Few Hours Earlier
“You went out for lunch and brought back that?” Asher’s brows furrow as I set the large bag on the counter of our kitchen at the band house, along with the food bags and drinks.
I grunt in response. The tension between the four of us stifles the damn house with its thick fog. It’s the giant elephant in the room we’ve avoided for hours now. The only entity able to break through the thick cloud currently sits on Callum’s lap, asking a fresh round of unrelenting questions about his tattoos. The ones she can see crawling up his arms, on his fingers, and wrapping around his neck, she pokes at them.
Ink has been his therapy over the past few years. Rarely does he talk about the miserable night between River and Van, instead throwing himself into complicated riffs on the bass and under the tiny needle. Or in the fight ring, where he risks his life every Saturday, getting the shit knocked out of him.
He and I aren’t so different. While I take out my haunted past on the swinging bag until I can’t feel anything anymore, he pounds flesh until her memory is beaten away.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch her with rapt attention, soaking in the presence of this tiny being I helped create. Me. I did that. With the help of River, of course. Somehow, someway, we brought this life into the world. Only I wasn’t a part of it. Not entirely. Not at the beginning. I was away living what I thought was my dream. Instead of taking care of the one responsibility unknowingly thrust upon me. Watching her now, I note her familiarity with each of us. Openly calling us daddy and laughing at whatever we say. There’s always a smile for us when we talk and a hug when she needs it.
Fuck.
A sharp, painful ache pounds in my chest, desperate to drag all the answers out of this tiny being. River never hid us from Lyric. So, why weren’t we allowed to know she existed? The familiar rage I’ve come to know spikes in my veins like an old familiar friend, but I swallow it down. Now is not the time to lose my shit like I want to. Like I always do.
“That’s something we need to talk to River about,” Asher informs me when I stomp my way through the house, shouting my anger until the walls bleed and break. After I had left River in her bed, softly snoring her sickness away. The compulsion to beat the answers out of the three men I considered my brothers drove me through the door with a scowl .
“Yeah, bro. We don’t have all the answers either. We only found out, too.” Rad grimaces as he speaks, rubbing a finger over a scratch on his cheek.
“You need to cool down.” Callum gives me a knowing look, discreetly cracking his scarred knuckles in my direction.
Deep down, I know he’s eager to pop me in the fucking nose again as retribution for my damn attitude—like always. We’ve been at each other’s throats for years since we left the woman across the street behind. Now, it’s hitting a fever pitch. If I don’t go, I’ll wreck whatever semblance of a relationship we have left and bury it in a grave so deep, it’ll never have a fucking chance to resurface and renew.
So, I did. I grabbed my keys and split for fresh air, which led me to the children’s store. A place I never thought I’d step foot in. I wandered around the deserted aisles with my head in the damn clouds, wondering what the hell was happening and how it happened without my knowledge. How could I not have known? How could she not have reached out and told me? She knew. She fucking knew what my dad did to me… What her dad did to her. So, why did she fucking keep this secret from me like I wouldn’t fucking care?
“My dad disappeared, too,” I mumble, laying back on the grass and staring at the stars.
“We’re bastards,” Blue mutters with a pout, looking over at me when I burst out laughing.
“Bastards under the moon,” I say through a sad smile, keeping the pain of his absence to myself.
“Dear man in the moon,” she says, turning on her back and clasping our hands together in the grass for support. “Will we ever meet our fathers again?” I bite my tongue. She may. I’ll never find mine. He’s long gone, dust in the wind.
I thought my life was spiraling out of control when River walked into the conference room with her head held high. Then came her announcement. Our band manager. Meaning she’d be in our lives for the next six months without pause. We’d see the ghost we’d left behind daily until our contract said otherwise, haunting us for eternity. Well, okay—six months. But six months can change everything. Six months can become a lifetime.
Now this bombshell.
My daughter. A whole fucking, walking, talking child that I didn’t have a clue about knocked on our door and called me daddy. Daddy . Somehow, she knows who I am, but I don’t know who she is. Not yet. I will, though. I will not be Dennis Knight, the man who ran away. I will be Kieran Knight, the best fucking father she’s ever seen. No matter the sacrifices I make to ensure my child is cared for. Gloria was a shit excuse for a mom time and time again. The moment my father walked out, so did she. I was never a human being to her. I was just…nothing.
But Lyric is vibrant and full of life and love. Everything inside me melts, thinking about the amazing mother River has become. Lyric is living proof of the love and support she’s given her.
I shove all those thoughts away, interrupted by the voice beside me.
“Is that a—” Rad stops dead, glancing at my purchase. A tight smile pulls at his tight lips as he approaches the counter, locking eyes on the tiny brunette pushing her way through.
“Daddy!” My heart fucking stops when she hugs my leg, tugging at my shirt to get a peek at the new gadget I impulse-bought.
“Little Blue,” I breathe, hauling her into my arms and securing her to my body. It’s so right. I feel it in my fucking bones. She’s mine.
“Is it mine?” she asks, curiously looking at the large bag and poking it with her finger. Those eyes find me again, filled with hope; I can only nod. It hasn’t even been five hours, and I’m wrapped around her little finger. Forever in her debt and destined to carry out every request she throws my way.
“All yours,” I reply in a gravelly voice, thick with emotions.
Every minute I’m in her presence, a rightness clicks inside me. Like I was meant to do this or be here in her company, River promised we’d sit down and talk this over because the number of questions I have could fill up an entire twenty-four-hour period.
Lyric’s entire face lights up when I completely unwrap the cotton candy machine, and she squeals with delight, clapping her hands.
“Cotton candy!” she shouts again with a grin. “Can we do it now?” she asks, looking around the room at the four of us with those big, puppy dog eyes she’s somehow perfected.
“Of course,” I mutter, furrowing my brows as I stare at the box, perplexed by the damn instructions. “But after you eat your burger.” With eagerness, she shoves her burger into her mouth and quickly eats her fries without argument.
Like a real family, we all gather around the kitchen island, inhaling our food in silence, keeping our eyes on the ringmaster—Lyric. She’s the only reason we’re able to stand being in the same room as each other. It’s been years since we’ve stood side by side without arguing or shouting. Somewhere along the way, my best friends became strangers. Now, it’s time to mend our bond. For River and Lyric—the two most important women.
After we’ve discarded our food bags, we once again settle around the island with our hearts in our throats.
“Let’s do this, Little Pretty Girl,” Rad says, tearing open the box and setting it up on the countertop. “What flavor should we try first? Cherry? Pink Vanilla? Grape? Blueberry?” With each flavor he reads off, he grabs the bottles from the box and sets them down.
“Blueberry,” she says in awe, watching as Callum reads over the instructions and starts setting up the pink machine.
After ten minutes, we manage to wrap the blueberry cotton candy around the tube and grin when Lyric devours it with happy hums of approval. My heart swells ten times bigger at her satisfaction. Her simple happiness is better than fucking music and my guitar. It soars beyond the feeling I get when I’m front and center on the stage, with the spotlights blaring down on my sweat-soaked face with millions of fans chanting my name. Lyric encapsulates that mood just by the smile on her face and the tiny laugh from her throat. She takes away the stress on my shoulders, replacing it with pure joy. I’ll hold onto this feeling for the rest of my life.
“What the fuck,” Rad hisses, straightening to his full height as the rumble of a loud car roars down the driveway. “It’s him!” Rad hisses, widening his eyes. “Dude!” he shouts, marching toward the window. Throwing open the blinds, he watches with rapt attention. “Mr. Sexy-In-Tight-Jeans is sauntering into her house. Again!” I shake my head at his antics but slowly move toward the window when Lyric hustles over, planting herself in his lap.
“Uncle Rocco,” Lyric says, taking a big bite of her cotton candy and staring out the window.
We each peer down at her and then at each other with our brows raised into our hairlines. Rocco? Why do I suddenly feel like a protective monster ready to tear his head off?
“Just your uncle?” Rad asks, swiping some of her hair back from her face. “He’s not another daddy, is he?” His brows furrow when she giggles. “Better not be,” he mumbles through gritted teeth. I swear he mutters no more dicks under his breath. I haven’t seen Rad this pumped up for something since—well—River. I swallow hard as his eyes lock on the house across the street with interest.
Are we really heading down this road again?
“Just Uncle Rocco.” She shrugs, leaning her head on Rad’s shoulder. “Not my daddy.”
I’m not the only one she’s got in her grasp. They all look at Lyric the same way, like she’s the sun in the sky, shining on their day and warming their hearts. Adding my—our—daughter to the equation brings hope to our situation. Finally, something positive rests on the horizon for Whispered Words. Not just for us as a band; it’s for us as a whole. Rad. Callum. Asher. Kieran.
“Uncle?” I ask curiously, raising a brow.
“That fuc–uh, that big tool took River on a date Saturday!” he grits out in a quiet voice, with anger lacing his tone. A possessive light streaks in his eyes. My damn face twists.
“And you?” I question, keeping it as vague as possible.
“Jesus,” Callum mumbles, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Stalked her to the restaurant and made his presence known.”
Asher and I blink at Rad like he’s lost his goddamn mind. Again. He’s pulled some stunts in the past. But this? My heart fucking twists at the implications. When Rad wants something, he goes after it in full force without looking back. He’s really doing this again without knowing the whole picture. How can he do that?
“Shh, little ears.” Rad points down to Lyric in his lap, greedily sucking in the cotton candy as a bluish tint stains her lips and chin, leaving the evidence of her sweet treat behind.
“Avoiding the conversation,” Asher notes, crossing his arms over his chest with a huff.
“Does Uncle Rocco spend the night with your mommy?” Rad questions in a gentle tone, brushing her long strands of hair away from the sticky mess.
Lyric snorts, eating the last of her cotton candy. Handing Rad the spit-soaked tube, she nods. “Only when they drink too much grown-up juice.” Rad stiffens, narrowing his eyes out the window.
“Time to go,” he says, heaving Lyric into his arms. She giggles when he twists her around and puts her on his back. Her tiny arms wrap around his neck, and her legs secure around his middle.
“Go?” I ask with a grimace.
“Are you seriously going to…” I blink several times, talking to Rad’s back when he turns, and fucking walks out.
“Yeah, he’s gone,” Callum grumbles, marching after him out the front door with determination, ready to catch the blazing idiot.
“What the fuck?” My eyes connect with Asher’s. He shrugs, grimacing.
“You assholes coming?” Rad shouts from outside, seeming so far away. “We’ve got some investigating to do!”
“Guess we should?” I ask, motioning toward the door.
Asher and I walk side-by-side, catching up to Rad and Callum in the middle of the road between our houses.
“Anything to stop this train wreck,” Asher mumbles, swiping a hand down his face.
Before I can stop anything from happening, Rad practically breaks down River’s front door, taking a step inside.
“What the hell is he doing here?” Rad growls, pointing directly at the mysterious man who has sleepovers with River. Innocently, he holds his hands up in a placating manner and steps back.
“Fancy seeing you here, Mullet,” the man says with a cocky grin, laughing under his breath when Rad growls in his direction.
“Uncle Rocco!” Lyric squeals, jumping down off Rad’s back. Running full force, she jumps into Rocco’s arms, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“My monster godchild,” he rumbles, squeezing her tight with love. He kisses the side of her temple, eyeing us with an inspecting glare. I recognize the protectiveness he exudes, filling the room with his warning. Don’t fuck with his girls. “Did you have a good time with your fathers? Oh, what’s that?” he questions with a smile, swiping at the blue on her lips.
“Cotton candy,” she mumbles shyly with glee.
“Cotton candy?” River questions, weakly raising a brow.
My gaze wanders to her, inspecting the paleness spreading across her flesh. Those moss-green eyes glaze over with sickness, begging her to return to bed and rest some more. Her entire body sags with exhaustion when she rubs her fingers across her forehead.
“She only had one,” I amend with a tight smile. “I bought it…”
“You bought it?”
I shrug, rubbing the back of my neck. “Wasn’t planned, but we didn’t have anything else. She ate lunch before it.”
River purses her lips, sighing heavily. “Did you have fun, Ly?” she asks, running a finger down Lyric’s leg, getting her attention.
“So much!” she grins, climbing from Rocco’s embrace. “We ate cotton candy and hamburgers. Daddy Callum showed me his art. Daddy Rad said bad words.” She wrinkles her nose.
I snort when Rad turns beet red and throws his hands up. “Sorry, Little Pretty Girl. Not used to such tiny ears being around all the time.” He winks at her, earning a smile.
“Well. It was very nice to meet you, gentlemen. I expect my girls to be in good hands if I take off and return to my husband,” Rocco says, scooping up a large, empty container and his car keys. His eyes bounce around to our faces until we’re nodding in understanding. He’s laid it out clearly to us; he’s not a threat to whatever the fuck this is now. “Good. I shall take my leave. Get well, Doll. And remember what I said.” He raises a brow, earning the stink eye from River. I can’t help the smile that pulls at my lips at her defiance.
“Thanks for the soup. Kiss Christian for me,” she mutters when he kisses her temple, much to the unhappy sounds escaping Rad’s throat like a possessive idiot.
“You’ve got it, Doll.” Coming to stand right before us, he reaches a hand out and clasps my hand in a gentle handshake. Peering over his shoulder, he confirms River is locked in a deep conversation about cotton candy with Lyric before he speaks next. “It’s been a long road for them. You understand? She’s endured a lot. My unsolicited advice?” He eyes my face and the other guys who crowd in, reluctantly listening to this strange man in River’s house. “Listen to her. Breathe her damn words. Reevaluate whatever is going through each of your minds. Have an open heart. And if this isn’t something for you, walk away and never look back. Disappear into the fucking darkness. Go back to where you fucking came from. Once you fully commit to them—to Lyric. There’s no walking away. Fix what you broke or forever leave it in shambles so they can repair themselves.” He raises a poetic brow, taking his hand back.
We don’t say a word when he slips between us. Or when he starts up his car and drives away slowly, leaving us with his parting words.
Fix what you broke.
Determination lifts me in its grasp, choking me without a single thought of leaving this. Lyric is my daughter. My flesh and fucking blood, hidden from me. River was once my best friend—the love of my life. Every action from the past comes back, forcing me to relive our memories in vivid color. My River Blue isn’t the same girl I left in Central City. There’s an edge to her now. Because we broke her. We walked the fuck away without ever knowing the truth. God. How could I have been so damn stupid to just leave her without uttering a word? I’m confident now that the truth will come to light. It always does. No matter what happened in the past, River is ours now.
Lyric is ours.